Mobile County reports about 55 syphilis cases per 100000 residents, well above the US average. If you live in Creola, Alabama and whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind, you might be weighing options for testing. Community and public clinics are often low-cost or free, while private labs tend to offer faster results and more flexible scheduling. See the list below for options.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Creola, AL. The nearest, Eight Mile Health Center, is about 11.3 miles away. Compare community and public clinics, private labs, and at-home kits below.
Listings tagged Community health center are federally funded health centers and rural clinics that treat everyone regardless of insurance or ability to pay: required to bill on a sliding fee scale and provide confidential care, and in many states minors may consent to their own STI testing. A Title X tag flags centers funded for confidential family-planning services; confirm current participation when you call.
Source: CMS FQHC & Rural Health Clinic enrollment files (data.cms.gov), refreshed quarterly. Title X status reflects the latest OPA grantee list.
A public safety-net federally qualified health center about 11 miles from Creola. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Mobile County Health Department in Eight Mile pairs gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and rapid HIV testing with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, so a single appointment handles both diagnosis and care. Fees run on a sliding scale, with Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance all accepted.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Franklin Primary Health Center in Prichard tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, HIV, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB. Treating bacterial STIs the same visit. Appointments are required, and every service is provided at no fee.
Sliding-scale clinics still leave patients calculating what they owe after the visit. Franklin Primary Health Center charges nothing (not for testing, not for treatment, not for vaccines) so cost is simply not a variable in the decision to come in.
When a patient leaves Franklin Primary Health Center without fully understanding their results or treatment plan, the care itself has a gap. Interpretation services for non-English languages are available at the clinic, so counseling, diagnosis, and next steps land clearly the first time.
Franklin Primary Health Center staffs PrEP and PEP directly: meaning the prescription, the required HIV and kidney-function monitoring, and the follow-up intervals are handled within the clinic. Uninsured patients have a dedicated pathway for PrEP at no cost.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Free tool · not a clinic
Testing too soon can miss an infection. Enter the date of possible exposure to see the earliest a test can reliably detect each STI.
| Infection | Earliest reliable test | Conclusive after |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 7 days after exposure | 14 days after exposure |
| Gonorrhea | 7 days after exposure | 14 days after exposure |
| Trichomoniasis | 7 days after exposure | 28 days after exposure |
| HIV (NAT / RNA) | 10 days after exposure | 33 days after exposure |
| HIV (4th-gen Ag/Ab) | 18 days after exposure | 45 days after exposure |
| HIV (antibody) | 21 days after exposure | 84 days after exposure |
| Syphilis | 21 days after exposure | 42 days after exposure |
| Hepatitis B | 21 days after exposure | 42 days after exposure |
| Hepatitis C | 56 days after exposure | 77 days after exposure |
| Herpes (HSV) | 28 days after exposure | 112 days after exposure |
Guidance only, confirm timing with a clinician. A negative result before the conclusive date may need a repeat test.
Typical out-of-pocket ranges by option, actual cost depends on which tests you need.
Public / community clinic
Free HIV testing is common
Private lab (self-pay)
Never billed to insurance
At-home kit
Mailed to your door, private
Doctor / urgent care
Often $0 preventive with insurance
No centers match those filters. Clear the service-type filter or the opening-hours filters to see every center.
Every other option
Beyond the dedicated testing centers above: at-home kits by mail, hospital labs certified for STI testing, local clinicians who can order a panel during a regular visit, pharmacies for self-test kits and prescriptions, and online PrEP & treatment.
Test from home
The nearest testing center is about 11 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Creola, you collect the sample privately, and mail it back to a CLIA-certified lab. Results come online in days, with a clinician available if anything is positive. Same labs as a clinic, no waiting room, and you can read how accurate at-home STD tests are before you order.
Want a free option first? The CDC-supported TakeMeHome (opens in a new tab) program mails free at-home HIV self-test kits, and, in many areas, free STI kits, to your door, with no insurance or payment needed. The paid kits below add broader panels and faster turnaround.
In-home collection
$79 & up
Best for simplicity & support
$89 & up
Best value: single tests
$49 & up
Every kit uses CLIA-certified labs. At-home testing is for screening; a reactive result should be confirmed and treated by a clinician. Prices and panels shown are illustrative and change often, confirm current details on the provider's site.
Also in the area
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Mobile County, each lab's town is shown on its card below. Many test through a doctor's order or by appointment rather than walk-in, so call ahead to confirm STD/STI testing and availability before visiting.
181 Hillcrest Road, Mobile, AL 36608
CMS-certified lab
3 Mobile Infirmary Circle, Suite 201, Mobile, AL 36607
CMS-certified lab
3920 Airport Boulevard, Mobile, AL 36608
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Creola. A CLIA certificate records only that a laboratory is federally certified — it does not confirm the site performs STD testing, nor its hours, price or access. Inclusion is not an endorsement; always call to verify.
Local clinicians
Beyond dedicated clinics, 461 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Creola. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 53 offer telehealth.
Thomas Garth, MD
Internal medicine · 960 Industrial Parkway, Saraland
Misty Ellis, MD
Internal medicine · 1114 Shelton Beach Road, Saraland
Micah Staples, DO
Family medicine · 201 Dolive Street, Bay Minette
George Fahy, MD
OB-GYN · 2004 Medical Ctr Drive, Bay Minette
Charles Rogers
OB-GYN · 2001 Medical Ctr Drive, Bay Minette
Thomasina Anderson-Sharpe, MD
Family medicine · 2115 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette
These are registry-listed clinicians, not dedicated STD-testing clinics. CMS records do not independently verify current licensure, testing services, availability, price, or new-patient status. Confirm each detail before booking. Source: CMS Doctors & Clinicians.
Nearby pharmacies
No pharmacy near Creola, AL publishes an STD-related service or holds a current CLIA testing certificate, so these are simply the closest. Contact a location directly to confirm counter hours, services, prices, and availability before visiting.
5.8 mi 
5.9 mi Food World Pharmacy
5.9 mi
5.9 mi Saraland Pharmacy
5.9 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Creola, AL.
Directory records identify nearby pharmacies. Service, stock, price, and hours information is shown only when supported by current location-specific evidence.
Prevention & treatment
Testing is one step. For residents of Creola, telehealth covers the rest: HIV-prevention medication (PrEP) and DoxyPEP to lower future risk, and discreet online treatment if a result comes back positive. All prescribed by licensed U.S. clinicians.
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or to your pharmacy
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
Pricing varies by insurance and changes often, confirm on the provider's site. These services are not a substitute for emergency care.
STD stats & rates
How reported STI rates in Mobile County, the county that includes Creola, compare with Alabama and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~21% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#19 of 67 Alabama counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 72% of the state
| Infection | Mobile County | Alabama | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 746.8 3,074 cases ▲ 15% | 651.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 269.4 1,109 cases ▲ 19% | 226.9 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 55.1 227 cases ▲ 93% | 28.6 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 15.1 62 cases ▼ 26% | 20.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 42.3 174 cases ▲ 73% | 24.5 | 29.5 |
Rates per 100,000 population, 2023. Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county, state & U.S., all-ages basis). Population figures: U.S. Census Bureau ACS. These figures are the latest available surveillance estimates. Bars are scaled to the highest rate shown.
Reading these numbers: reported case rates only count infections that were actually tested for and diagnosed, so they track local screening effort as much as true spread: a higher rate can reflect more testing, a lower one less. Either way, most STIs cause no symptoms, so treat the figures above as context rather than a verdict, and test on the CDC's schedule regardless of how your area looks.
Between 2020 and 2023 in Mobile County, chlamydia has risen from 728.5 to 746.8 per 100,000 (3%), gonorrhea has fallen from 335.6 to 269.4 per 100,000 (20%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 19.3 to 55.1 per 100,000 (185%).
The 2020 dip reflects reduced pandemic-era screening, not lower transmission. Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county, state & U.S., all-ages basis).
Community health context
Sources: CDC PLACES (ZIP), County Health Rankings, CDC/ATSDR SVI, HRSA HPSA, HRSA MUA/P, Neighborhood Atlas ADI. Lower insurance coverage, fewer routine checkups, and a thin primary-care ratio all raise the value of low-cost public clinics and at-home testing in Mobile County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: Alabama is one of the U.S. jurisdictions prioritized under the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative: targeted federal funding to expand local HIV testing, PrEP, and prevention.
Mobile County HIV care continuum (2023)
Mobile County recorded 26.2 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 16.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Mobile County residents living with HIV, 75.2% are in care · 57.8% are virally suppressed. Early, routine testing is what moves these numbers: it is the entry point to PrEP, treatment, and viral suppression.
Sources: AIDSVu (Emory/Gilead) · CDC AHEAD · CDC AtlasPlus · CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county care continuum). The CDC recommends everyone aged 13–64 test for HIV at least once: every lab and clinic listed above offers HIV testing, and free rapid HIV testing is available at a local health department.
Congenital syphilis, passed from parent to baby in pregnancy, is the fastest-rising STI in the country. U.S. cases climbed from 2,163 in 2020 to 3,882 in 2023. It is almost entirely preventable: the CDC recommends a syphilis test at the first prenatal visit, and every clinic and lab listed for Mobile County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Across from the Satsuma Veterans Memorial, daily life in Creola runs on a schedule shaped by shift work, long commutes on roads that don't lend themselves to walking, and households that tend to run large. Nearly four people under one roof on average. That density matters for sexual health: when one person in a household is exposed, the people closest to them carry real risk too, and a town where more than half of adults are married means that risk rarely stays individual. Creola's younger adults (people in their late teens and twenties who are statistically most likely to encounter chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis) live inside that same tight household fabric.
For them, the practical obstacles aren't complicated: there's no walking to a clinic from here, and a car trip to a testing site burns time that two-income families with kids don't have in ready supply. When unemployment is meaningful and a quarter of households still reach six-figure earnings, the economic spread is wide enough that cost and convenience land differently depending on whose budget you're talking about. That's where the range of options listed on this page earns its keep. With listed sites serving the area in and around Creola, there's enough variety in hours and fee structures that someone working an early shift or a rotating schedule can usually find an appointment that doesn't require burning a day off to keep it.
Getting there
At 3/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Creola generally mean driving: plan on a car or rideshare to reach a clinic, and check each listing's hours and phone before you go.
Source: EPA National Walkability Index 2021.
ZIP 36525 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 36525 area around Creola: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Creola alone.
Creola sits in Mobile County, ZIP 36525. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Creola? These nearby communities have their own testing guides: clinics, at-home kits, and free screening close to home.
Reference
Everything to know before you test in Mobile County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Alabama law. If you have symptoms right now, our confidential symptom checker maps them to the tests worth considering.
Based on current CDC screening recommendations.
| Group | Tests | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone aged 13–64 | HIV | At least once |
| Sexually active women under 25 | Chlamydia, gonorrhea | Every year |
| Women 25+ with new or multiple partners | Chlamydia, gonorrhea | Every year |
| Pregnant people | HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B & C, chlamydia | Early in pregnancy |
| Gay & bisexual men (MSM) | Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV | Every 3–6 months |
| Anyone who shares injection equipment | HIV, hepatitis B & C | At least yearly |
| All adults at least once | Hepatitis C | At least once |
Testing too early can return a false negative, confirm timing with a Creola-area provider.
| Infection | Earliest reliable test | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 1–2 weeks | Urine or swab |
| Gonorrhea | 1–2 weeks | Urine or swab |
| Trichomoniasis | 1–4 weeks | Urine or swab |
| HIV (NAT / RNA) | 10–33 days | Blood |
| HIV (4th-gen Ag/Ab) | 18–45 days | Blood |
| HIV (antibody) | 3–12 weeks | Blood / oral |
| Syphilis | 3–6 weeks | Blood |
| Hepatitis B | 3–6 weeks | Blood |
| Hepatitis C | 8–11 weeks | Blood |
| Herpes (HSV) | 4–16 weeks (antibody); swab a sore | Blood / swab |
These are the federal Medicare reference prices for processing each lab test. Public clinics and the community health centers serving Creola often test free or on a sliding scale; private labs and at-home kits bundle several tests into one fee. Use this as a per-test benchmark before you pay out of pocket, or see the full guide to STD test costs for insurance, free, and at-home options.
| Test | Reference price | CPT / HCPCS |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia (NAAT) | $47.80 | 87491 |
| Gonorrhea (NAAT) | $47.80 | 87591 |
| Trichomoniasis (NAAT) | $47.76 | 87661 |
| HIV-1/2 antigen/antibody | $26.87 | 87389 |
| HIV-1/2 antibody | $22.44 | 86703 |
| Syphilis (RPR/VDRL) | $5.61 | 86592 |
| Syphilis (treponemal antibody) | $17.49 | 86780 |
| Herpes (HSV NAAT) | $47.76 | 87529 |
| Hepatitis B surface antigen | $15.33 | 87340 |
| Hepatitis C antibody | $29.16 | 86803 |
Source: Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule, CMS, 2025 rates (data.cms.gov). Reference rate for the lab assay only: a clinic visit, sample collection, or a bundled multi-test panel may cost more. Medicaid and most insurers cover STD screening at no out-of-pocket cost.
Two things that actually depend on Alabama law: who can consent, and whether partners can be treated without their own visit. Everything else about testing privately is the same nationwide (see below).
In Alabama, a minor aged 12 or older can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Alabama permits Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT): if you test positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea, your provider can give you medication (or a prescription) to pass to your partner, no separate exam or appointment needed for them.
Keeping a test private works the same in every state. Whether an STD test shows on insurance (the EOB), how to test anonymously, and self-pay options that leave no insurance trail don’t change by location.
Learn more about confidential STD testing in AlabamaSource: Guttmacher Institute, Minors' Access to STI Services; CDC, Legal Status of Expedited Partner Therapy. General information, not legal advice.
Good to Know
Answers to the questions people ask most before getting tested.
Possibly, Prichard, AL is close; compare it by distance against Eight Mile Health Center.
Most plans cover STD screening; a clinic or lab can bill insurance, or you can pay a flat self-pay price.
Yes, community and public clinics test the uninsured, with sliding-scale fees.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 747 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), above the Alabama average.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
In Alabama, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Start treatment, tell recent partners so they can test, avoid sex until cleared, and retest if advised, most STIs resolve with care.
Likely yes, if you were past the window period; otherwise retest, and keep up routine screening with new partners.
A urine sample or a swab (genital, throat, or rectal) detects gonorrhea, often tested alongside chlamydia.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.